If the halftime score was an indication of how the outcome would be, Monday’s battle between St. Thomas More and host Prairie Central was going to be nothing like their matchup last February in the sectional final at St. Joseph.

The Hawks, however, turned things around and fought all the way back before dropping a 54-48 decision to the Sabers.

St. Thomas More had built a 35-19 halftime advantage after holding the Hawks to just four points in the second period. The Sabers closed out the half with a 7-0 run in the final two minutes.

“We totally lost our poise in the second quarter. We got rattled,” PC head coach Tom Garriott said. “At halftime they gathered it back.”

Prairie Central made a charge by scoring the first three baskets of the third quarter. Laura Crane scored on a put-back, Cassie Somers nailed a 3-pointer and Kiana Coomber scored inside to cut the deficit to 35-26 in the first two minutes.

“It was all up to the girls, they knew they had to take ownership, to gather poise and confidence,” Garriott said. “They kept their composure and made a good comeback.”

The Hawks kept chipping away throughout the third period. Gabby Weber had five points in a 7-1 PC run. Emily Heiser buried a triple and Somers and Crane each scored in the paint to complete a 10-point run that tied the game at 40-40.

Crane scored again with 28 seconds to go in the quarter to knot the game at 42-42, which is where it stayed when the fourth period got underway.

Emily Shiflett stepped into the paint to hit a 12-footer and give the Hawks the lead at 44-42 just 50 seconds into the final frame.

That was Prairie Central’s last basket for the next 5:15. In the meantime, St. Thomas More rattled off eight unanswered points to regain the lead.

Weber’s two free throws with 1:55 to go made it a 50-46 game, which was the closest PC got the rest of the way.

“They had a couple of layups and we had a couple of fouls,” Garriott said of the final few minutes.

Prairie Central and STM played an overtime contest in a 2A sectional final last season. Lexi Wallen hit free throws with no time left on the clock to force the extra period.

Wallen was key in this contest, as was 6-foot-4 freshman Tori McCoy. The two combined for 7 points in the final three minutes to seal the victory.